Was: Dead Puppy...Now:Cheap Cars

[auditude at neta.com]

If that was my "only" $12k, I'd put it as down on a(nother) house.

I subscribe, or am trying to subscribe, to the "keep forever" camp.

For Type 44's, there is just too much cost involved in getting them
up to par, to let them go before getting the mileage out of them.

Now that I will have replaced the clutch, rack, alternator,
headlights, radiator, bomb, fuel pump, vacuum lines, coolant
hoses, and fused the fan motor, I've almost got everything covered
for another few years in those departments.

I still should preventatively/correctively inspect/update/replace the
battery to engine compartment welded joint, the blower motor, the
struts and wheel bearings, rear links(?), door jamb wiring
harnesses, sunroof mechanism, and?

The only way I'm able to do it is because I have more than one car,
and especially because one of them isn't an older, high-mileage
Audi.  Okay, well maybe it's not an older, high-mileage "car", since
any car would also require attention at this stage.

It's hard to imagine that the mid-to-late 90's Audi would have the
same parts wearing out and big ticket common failure modes that
the mid-to late 80's cars had, but I guess there's no reason to
expect that they wouldn't also share the same fate.

If I felt that Audi cared more about some of the problems we face
with our old cars, such as coming up with better quality or better
designs for replacement parts that are problematic, like different
door handles that fit the same old cars, then maybe I could see
that they might be concerned with longevity with the current
models.  Eh, I'm complaining now.

I know they did make improvements with the 200's that the 5k's
needed, so they do take heed.  But I think they still try to push the
manufacturability envelope by implementing their brand new
engineering ideas.  Case in point the radical multiple control arm
design on the A4's.  Great design, described by European Car or
some other mag as locating the wheels "nine ways to Sunday" or
something, yet they squeak.

My opinion on the old car/newer car issue is that all cars break,
and what's most important is to find a car who's design you can live
with, and then do what you can to maintain it from there.  The only
part that makes it more difficult is when newer, better cars become
cheap enough to tempt me to buy them.  Like some of the price
drops on the inventory at karquattro.com.

It helps if you can keep the original factory sticker around for
inspiration.

Eh, cars.  It's all emotional for those of us who care.  If I didn't get
as attached to cars, or I could more quickly get them fixed up the
way I like them, and hence enjoy them that way for longer, then I
might change them more often.  Currently I have no scheduled car
payment, but I manage to get into some fairly decent outlays
towards the non-recurring costs of getting the whole old-car-
keeping thing started.  One of my cars that is intended to get me
through a few years sans payments isn't even complete yet, or
necessarily close.  I wish I could lose this cold I've got, so that I
can get some progress made.  Is anywhere else having a "flu
epidemic" like we are having locally here in AZ?

Later,

Ken

josh Wyte josh_wyte at yahoo.com wrote:
<snip>
> My top price to pay for a car like the above is
> $25,000.  I usually net at least $12,000 from the sale
> of my old car, so I have loan amounts of anywhere from
> $8-12,000, which over a 4 year note equates to $250 or
> less.
>
> Take my current '97 A4 quattro.  I bought it for
> $19,xxx with 35k miles on it and a warranty to 75k.
> (Audi has since increased it to 100k, but
> unfortunately that doesn't count for me)  I had
> $12,000 to put down from my last car and I took out a
> $8000 loan for 4 years with payments of $210 a month.
>
> So I ended up with a nice, newer car, with a
> substantial amount of warranty for under $220 a month.
>  Now it's true that I could've bought one from a
> private party for less, but since I've claimed over
> $2000 in warranty repairs in the 18 months and 30k
> miles I've driven the car I'm very happy with my
> decision to buy from the dealer.
>
> -josh